Retrospect and Prospect

Abstract

In science, we look for the big picture, but in autobiography, it is the details that we care more about. Inevitably, my piece embodies this contradiction. The linguistic parts aim to bring out the unifying themes behind what may look like a hopelessly all-over-the-place curriculum vitae of research and teaching. The autobiographical parts are mostly vignettes of my formative years, places where I have lived, events that have made an impression on me, and people I have crossed paths with.